Spitfire VB code/serial colour

[Mr Bowcat]

Hi guys,

Just after some advice. I'm using paint masks for the first time. I've painted the roundels and need to do the letter codes (GW*S) and serial (BM324).

The serial looks to be black, but which one? I was thinking NATO black.

For the letters, would these be the same colour as the tail band and spinner (sky) or a light grey? I've looked at pictures but still not sure??

Cheers

B

 

[Ian M]

I would go for black for the serial and sky for the codes.
I think that as you are painting them, you could tone the black down a tad to soften it down a bit.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Thanks Ian.

I might use rubber black for the serial to give it more of a grey tone.

 

[Tim Marlow]

As I understand it, the codes were grey, and varied from squadron to squadron. There was no standard colour, they were simply mixed from black and white when needed....all the profiles I have clearly show a difference between the sky coloured band and the aircraft codes.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Thanks for that Tim.

I've not been able to find any colour photos of the actual aircraft. There are plenty of pictures of models of BM324, and these vary between sky and light grey??

 

[Jakko]

The official instructions don’t seem to specify the colour to be used for these markings at all, except in 1939:

They are to be painted in grey paint (Stores Ref. 33B/157).

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers Jakko, light grey it is then.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

To answer my own question (and hopefully help anybody else with the same question, I found this online:

From the book British Aviation Colours of World War Two.
27/4/39 Grey. Stores Ref.33B/157.
2/7/42 Sky.The same date the yellow strip on the wings was introduced.

The aircraft I'm modelling took part in the Dieppe Raid of August '42 (and had the yellow wing strip) so I'm going to go with Sky for the letters.

 

[stona]

The squadron code letters applied under the Day Fighter Scheme were to be applied in Sky.

The Day Fighter Scheme was introduced in August 1941.

It superseded the previous scheme for fighters (Temperate Land Scheme) in which the codes were indeed to be applied in grey.

Your aircraft codes would certainly be in Sky (Type S).

Here is a copy of the order introducing the Day Fighter Scheme, all these markings would be relevant to an RAF fighter operating in Europe in 1942.



The 'mixed grey' made up from the specified mixture of Medium Sea Grey and Night (black) was later standardised as Ocean Grey. I have a whole file on this colour and the first request to standardise it and give it a name was made on 11th August by the DTD. The letter, which shows how soon the name Ocean Grey was applied to this new colour is attached below. Note the pencil annotations.



Duck-egg blue is a name commonly applied to Sky, which is the correct name for this colour. The codes were applied by the squadron, but to a fairly stringent set of guidelines.

Serial numbers were black. Black is black, the colour available to the manufacturers (who applied the serial number) was probably Night. For a model any black paint will do.

Likewise the leading edge strips were yellow. Terms like 'trainer yellow' are modern inventions. The yellow used was the same as that for roundels, on prototype aircraft etc.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Thanks for the confirmation Steve.